Harvest Moon 3: Darkness Rising
by t.j.guard
Summary: Dracula's gone, so everything should be good, right? Wrong. In fact, dozens of vampires are swarming McAshtonland, and several are claiming victims in a show of force and competition The Hunter has called in help, but things don't always go as planned.
1. Chapter 1

Harvest Moon 3: Darkness Rising

Disclaimer: I don't own The Little Vampire.  
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Chapter One

"Looks like another one," Bob said, unfolding the paper to read the front page story.

"Another what?" Dottie asked, pouring tea.

"Another incident of mass insanity. There's some story in the paper about how people are seeing vampires all over." Tony's ears perked up. "I mean, I know vampires exist, but this is just nuts."

Dottie turned toward Tony. "Tony, what exactly has been happening lately?"

Tony shrugged. "Weird stuff."

"What kind of weird stuff?"

"Well, ever since Von came back, some pretty weird vampires have been showing up."

"How weird?"

"Crazy weird."

"Crazy, like psycho?" Bob asked.

"Yeah, psycho."

Bob and Dottie looked at each other and then at Tony. "You stay away from them, okay?"

"Okay, Dad."

"Well, now that the matter is settled, how's school?" Dottie asked.

TLV

Gregory bounced the white ball against the living room floor, his foot tapping to the music in his head. Every now and again he glanced at his brother, lounging across an armchair with a book, as usual. He smiled.

Rudolph looked up at him, Gregory's cue that he'd been staring. He caught the ball and raised an eyebrow. Rudolph rolled his eyes and returned to his book. Again Gregory smiled to himself. Only he and his brother knew each other so well that they didn't even need to speak to each other sometimes. It reminded him of how close he was to Von.

How exactly did he feel about Von's return? True, he and Von had been close, but it had been three hundred years, and now Gregory was in this position with himself, Frederick, and Von all seemingly in some struggle, real or imagined, and it felt to Gregory that it was all going to hell and back.

He took a deep breath and pushed the thoughts from his mind, only to have them return almost immediately.

For starters, he figured he'd been more welcoming of Von than he expected, perhaps because he wanted that close relationship back.

His heart stung. He caught the ball and turned his face toward the sofa. He didn't want his relationship with Von, per se. It was just easier than trying to repair his relationship with his father.

"If you're being hard on yourself, stop it. It makes you look bad," Rudolph said, looking up from his book.

"I'm not being hard on myself. I'm thinking about the mess I'm in."

"Which mess?"

"It's my relationship with Von and my relationship with my father. I mean, I know I tried, like both of you said, but it's not like this can fix itself overnight."

"I know. I think you've made some major progress a couple nights ago, though I'm not entirely sure, since I wasn't there when it happened."

"It's still strange."

Rudolph shrugged and marked his page with a bookmark. Then he set the book on the coffee table and leaned back. "It's going to be that way for a while, until you get used to your new situation."

"Where did you get that? Some book?"

"And a little experience with other clan members."

"Alright, genius. How do we tell the others Von is still alive?"

Rudolph looked at the table and bit his lip. After a minute, he looked at his brother and said, "That's a very good question. Of course the easiest way would be to invite him to a family reunion." Gregory's eyes widened slightly, the indication to Rudolph that he'd been thinking that same thing at one point. "That's probably going to be our game plan." Gregory nodded and looked at the ball in his hands. "I'm not sure how, but everything will work out."

Gregory met his brother's gaze and whispered, "Thanks."

TLV

Rookery paced back and forth along the path leading to McAshton Castle, and his head turned at the sound of a car pulling up. A Sedan parked on the side of the path, and a girl with short, curly, red hair climbed out and walked up to him. "First thin's first, John. How many and are there any bitings?" she asked.

"Two or three dozen," Rookery replied, walking over to his truck. "As to the bitings, unknown." He grabbed a newspaper from the center console and handed it to her. She tucked it under her arm without looking at it.

"I see thae police haven't gotten tae yae yet."

"Well, with all this vampire mania floating around, I've been able to escape unnoticed."

The door to the castle opened, and out walked a heavyset man in a suit and kilt. His short red hair was neatly combed, yet something about his appearance made her guess that it was a facade. "Milord, my niece, Aila McTavish," Rookery said, gesturing to the woman. The man merely hummed and nodded.

"If yae don't want my help, yer gonnae get more of it," Aila said.

"What is she talking about?" the man asked, looking at Rookery.

"You see, I've called her in to help us deal with our newfound vampire problem."

"What vampire problem?"

"That's what we're trying to determine, milord."

"So why are you here?"

"We're here because in theory yae run this town," Aila said bitingly. "This should be a concern tae you, regardless of whether it's real or not."

The man looked at Rookery, who raised his eyebrows and tilted his head in Aila's direction. Aila folded her arms and raised an eyebrow; the corner of her mouth turned up slightly, and she tilted her chin downward a hair. The man narrowed his eyes, humphed, and walked past them. "Who's that?" She asked with a sneer as she followed him with her eyes.

"Lord Richard McAshton," Rookery replied.

"What relation to the late lord?"

"The alleged vampire?" Aila nodded. "Nephew." She nodded again and turned toward Rookery.

"A right snotty bastard, if yae ask me." Rookery shrugged, and Aila walked back to her car. "Let me know if anythin' changes."

"Where will you be?"

"At the motel."

Rookery nodded, and both he and Aila climbed into their cars.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Von awoke with sore, heavy limbs and pushed himself out of the coffin and stretched out in the basement. Then he walked up the stairs, past the kitchen and living room and then out the front door. He took a few steps down the path and glanced down at the scorch mark on the driveway where the Count had exploded. Then he continued on his way to the nearest farm and hypnotized a cow to feed from.

After he finished, he walked out of the barn and scanned the dirt road in both directions. Then he reached out with her mind. The two locals were perusing the town in search of a victim, and he hoped they were unaware of his presence.

He walked down the dirt road toward McAshtonland, noting with a hint of pleasure that his limbs were no longer heavy.

TLV

Rookery parked in an alley in downtown McAshtonland, dragging at his cigar and tapping his fingers against the steering wheel. Something had been registering on his radar for some time, two somethings, on approach. All he had to do was wait for them to show up.

But they stopped, and not for a moment, but for several. He took the stake launcher from the passenger seat and the neon cross from the back seat and climbed out of the truck. "Where are you, you leeches?" he muttered, his eyes scanning the street as he walked in slow, careful steps. The corners of his mouth pulled up in the way they usually did when he was on the hunt.

Some distance from another alley, he heard a man screaming and begging to be released. Rookery quickened his pace, but he knew once he heard the man's final scream that he was too late. He shone the neon cross in the alley, but the vampires had already gone. There were two sets of bite marks in the man's neck, and he lay unconscious and bleeding. Rookery fired a stake into the man's heart as a precaution and walked back to his truck.

He set the cross and stake launcher on the passenger seat and pulled out of the alley on his way to the motel.

TLV

The next morning, the discovery of a body with four puncture wounds in its neck and a stake through the ribs outside of a local bar was all over the local news station. The entire Thompson-Sackville-Bagg group gathered in the Thompson living room to watch as the early stages of the story developed.

For a long moment after the first long segment cut to commercial and Gregory figured out the function of the mute button on the remote control, no one said a word. "C'mon," Bob said. "Somebody's gotta be thinking something."

Gregory's shoulders relaxed almost involuntarily, and Frederick shot him a look. "What? I'm glad I didn't accidentally silence us." Bob raised an eyebrow but didn't comment.

"The work of vampires," Rudolph said. "At least, the puncture wounds in the neck. The stake was most likely a precautionary measure on the part of Rookery, to prevent the victim from becoming one of the undead."

"Which means there's possibly something to all this hysteria," Bob replied.

"You're not dealing with vampires like we used to be. These are vampires who are capable of and willing to kill people, even if just for fun."

Frederick raised his eyebrows and looked at Rudolph, who watched as Bob knit his brow and pulled his head back slightly. "So, what? We call that whacko?"

"If he's got two decent brain cells in him, he's already on it."

Bob looked at Frederick. "Any idea how bad it is?" he asked.

"Not as of yet," Frederick replied, "but it has the potential to be a disaster."

"Oh, fun," Gregory said, rolling his eyes.

Frederick closed his eyes, bowed his head, and took a deep breath. He sank into a chair without saying anything.

TLV

Aila turned off the television in her room and returned to the newspaper Rookery had given her the day before. The entire paper was on various aspects of the so-called "vampire mania" or "vampire hysteria" gripping McAshtonland, for what many believed to be unknown reasons.

She smirked. She had plenty of proof that vampires were real, alive, and well, and if some others believed as she did and found vampires in McAshtonland, there were vampires in McAshtonland. It was a simple fact of life.

Someone knocked on her door, and she put her paper aside for the second time that morning to answer to none other than Rookery. "A victim," he said. "In the-"

"I know," she replied. "Seen thae news lately?"

"Already?"

"They left thae body in an alley near a bar."

"Oh, I know that."

"If this keeps up, these people're gonnae need yae."

"Need us."

"Don' talk like that. Yae know how I feel about this."

"Still, you may be needed."

"Yeah, I know."

Rookery nodded and disappeared down the hall, and Aila shut the door.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Von, Gregory, Rudolph, Anna, and Tony met in Tony's bedroom that night, where the humans relayed the day's news to Von, who nodded patiently where appropriate and waited until they finished. "We have company," he said after chewing on the news for a moment. "The Count may be gone, but his fledgling army isn't, which is a rather strange and unexpected twist of fate." Tony tilted his head to one side. "Typically, fledglings and human-hunters disperse to better areas after the death of their leader. They don't want to be next."

"So why are these vampires staying?" Gregory asked.

"Good question."

"What about our friends the caretaker and Lord McAshton?" Rudolph asked. "Could they be the reason the vampires are staying?"

"They seemed to be the Count's two right hands, so I would suspect so, having assumed a de facto leadership role and being emotionally unable to leave McAshtonland. Of course, this is all strictly speculation."

"It's the best we have right now," Gregory said. He turned to Tony and asked, "Do you still have those bottles of water?" Tony picked up his backpack and unzipped it, revealing, alongside his notebooks, the bottles of water and containers of garlic powder and salt. "Excellent."

"I take it you have an idea?" Von asked.

"Something of one, if they're stupid enough to come here."

"Or brazen enough," Rudolph added. Gregory closed his eyes and tilted his head toward his brother.

"Looks like we're battening down the hatches, then," Von said.

TLV

Frederick and Freda walked into the living room to find the children and Von in a loose circle around the coffee table, the water bottles, salt, and garlic powder on said coffee table. "You look like you're about to wage a vampire war," Frederick said.

"You never know," Rudolph replied with a shrug. Frederick nodded and walked up the stairwell. Freda smiled, returned by nearly every other person in the living room, and followed her husband.

"Thank God that's over," Gregory muttered. Von looked down at him and lay a hand on his shoulder.

TLV

Gregory, Anna, Tony, and Rudolph fell asleep in the living room at around one in the morning, leaving Von lounging on the floor with his back against one of the armchairs. The room was quiet and dark, just the way he liked it, and just the setting to detect potential intruders before they get too close.

He tilted his head back, and his eyes drifted to Gregory, asleep on the couch with his brother. He smiled softly, and then he looked at the window. He got to his feet and walked over to the window. Rookery was nowhere to be seen, and he couldn't feel the fledglings anywhere close by. Von looked over his shoulder at the unassuming bottles on the coffee table. If he didn't know any better, he would've been rather surprised to learn that they were the first line of defense against an attack by vampires.

He leaned against the door and closed his eyes, feeling out with his mind until he reached the town limits. The vampires that had been casing the town the previous night remained stationary, in a tunnel under McAshtonland and presumably in hiding. The media attention must've been more rushed than they expected.

He pulled back into himself before his head would threaten to split open, and he turned and slipped out of the front door. He walked down the street, his senses on alert for vampire hunters and vampires. He reached the Thompson home without encountering a single vampire or Rookery. The Thompsons were safe at home, not a sign of a vampire in sight. He smiled to himself and turned to walk back to the Sackville-Bagg home.

He took a more leisurely pace, scanning the town more thoroughly with his mind. Then he felt something very strange: a halfling in the motel.

Von stopped for a moment, and then he turned a corner and walked toward the motel.

TLV

A girl with short, curly, red hair opened the motel room door with a stake in hand. Von shot back almost immediatley and put his hands up. "I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to wake you." Recognition flashed in her eyes, and she lowered the stake a few inches. Then she turned away almost before Von noticed the pain in her eyes, and she shut the door.

Von turned to leave, and then the door opened. "What're yae doin' here?" she asked, leaning against the door frame.

Von turned to face her. "I felt a halfling, and I haven't encountered a halfling in a long time."

"Yae...yae know?"

"Know about what?"

"Sorry. I...I just..."

"No, it's alright. You don't have to say anything if you don't want to."

"Yae look like a vampire that I watched die."

Von stepped forward and moved to lay his hands on her shoulders, but he stopped himself. "I'm sorry," he said.

"What was his name?"

"Andrew."

The girl nodded and walked back into the room. Von turned and left the motel.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Rookery waited a moment after his phone started ringing, and then he answered. "Hello?"

"John Rookery?" the man on the other end of the line asked. Rookery recognized the voice of the investigator who took his statement.

"Y...yes."

"We're willing to cut you a deal. We've been debating this all through yesterday in between investigating leads on this victim. We need you to come down to the station."

Simultaneously curious and filled with dread, he said, "On my way," and hung up the phone. He loaded up the truck and drove to the police station. He checked himself for anything that would be deemed a weapon and left these items in the truck before walking into the station. The inspector shook his hand, and he asked. "What do you need help with?"

"This way, please," the inspector said, leading him down the hall to the autopsy room. The man from the alley lay there, pale and limp, with two puncture wounds in the side of his neck and a stake through his ribs. Rookery didn't need to be told about the other set of pucnture wounds. "Did you stake the victim?"

"Yes, sir, I did."

"Why?"

"Well, it's simple. If I left him there, I ran the risk of letting him become a vampire, and God knows we don't need more of those running about." The inspector merely nodded. Rookery had given the spiel before.

"Tell me everything you know about what happened that night," the inspector said. Rookery complied. The inspector nodded patiently where appropriate. When Rookery finished, he studied the body. "If I recall correctly, you're known for roaming the town at night in search of vampires?"

"Yes, sir."

"And you believe there were two of these so-called bloodsucking fiends that attacked this poor man."

"Yes, sir."

"You're lucky the evidence corroborates your story."

Rookery cast a sidelong glance at the inspector and raised an eyebrow slightly, but he didn't say anything. He gave the body on the table a once over. Examiners were going over every centimeter of it and carefully noting everything. "Has anything strange been found yet?"

"We haven't gotten to that stage yet, but the examiners have identified a clear, slightly gelatenous substance around the puncture wounds. No word on what it is yet."

"You can call my niece in for a second opinion, but if you ask me, I'd guess vampire venom." The inspector raised an eyebrow and turned his head toward Rookery. "Like I said, it's a guess."

"Where's your niece now?"

"At the motel."

"Do you know the room number?"

"Not offhand. Her name's Aila McTavish. If you ask the front desk clerk, I'm sure you'll find her."

"Thank you. Now, about the deal."

TLV

Rudolph brought the papers from the previous two days with him to school and spent his every free minute going over every word in both of them that had anything to do with the vampire case, as it was starting to be dubbed by nearly everyone talking about it.

In the paper detailing the murder, he found a clue buried on the thirteenth page. There was a short blurb stating that, among other missing persons and the supposedly dead, Lord McAshton and John McMillan, the cemetery caretaker, had been seen around town. He read the blurb several times and then went through the paper again in search of similar sightings. The police reports proved rather telling; they indicated a series of sightings of "feral human-like beasts" that appeared to last for moments at a time before the so-called beasts disappeared.

Rudolph slipped a pair of scissors out of his desk and cut out the police reports and the blurb on page thirteen. He folded up the clippings, and he returned the scissors to his desk and the paper to his backpack. Then he handed the clippings to Tony and nodded. Tony glanced up at Mr. Boggins and then opened the first clipping. He had to read each several times, and even then he passed Rudolph a note asking him to explain.

Rudolph glanced up at the teacher and wrote a quick reply. Tony read it once and nodded. Everything seemed to make sense then, or as much sense as possible. He leaned back in his chair and pocketed the newspaper clippings and Rudolph's note.

TLV

Gregory spent most of the morning completely zoned out, thoughts of the vampire case and his ever complicated personal life fluttering around in his mind, each alternating in taking up prominence. Then, when lunch rolled around, he walked into the cafeteria as the primary schoolers were filing out. Rudolph nodded to Tony, attracting the teenager's attention at once, and then Tony passed him two folded up pieces of paper and they walked out, followed closely by Anna. A second later, he heard the clock strike twelve.

Every weird thing has to happen at twelve, he thought as he took his seat and unfolded the papers. He read each carefully one time through before he needed to return to class for the next round of torture by forced boredom.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Frederick looked up from the afternoon paper when he heard the soft sound of a pair of objects sliding toward him. Gregory was pouring himself a glass of orange juice, and two squares of paper lay on the table in front of Frederick's cup of coffee. He folded up the newspaper and turned toward the squares.

Gregory took a seat across the table from his father. "They're from Rudolph and Tony. I assume they're clues, otherwise Rudolph wouldn't have cut them out of the paper," he said.

Frederick looked up from the squares, his eyebrows raised. "You've read them?"

"Remember, if my brother didn't think anything of them, neither would I."

Frederick nodded and unfolded the thicker square, the police reports. He leaned back in his chair and read through them methodically. After several long moments, he set the paper down and looked at Gregory, his arms folded in his lap. "I assume these 'feral human-like beasts' are the focus of the second clipping as well?" Gregory nodded. "What do you think?"

"Wh...what?"

"What do you think?"

"Well, I...I..."

"I haven't asked you this before, have I?"

Gregory creased his brow. "No." Frederick bowed his head and sighed. Gregory leaned back slowly, his hands falling limply into his lap. "You...you noticed."

Frederick looked up at him and nodded. "Yes, I did," he said softly. He let out another heavy breath. "I won't ask your forgiveness, for anything I've done to you." Gregory's eyes widened, but Frederick turned away again. The kitchen was enveloped in awkward silence.

"Father," Gregory began, licking his lip and swallowing. "Do you...do you love me?"

Frederick walked around the table and wrapped his arms around his son, pulling him close. "Yes," he whispered.

"How do I know?"

Frederick squeezed gently. "I'll let you." He paused, then added, "I swear to you that you will know." Frederick squeezed Gregory again and then pulled away, leaving his hands on his son's shoulders.

"Thanks," Gregory managed. Frederick nodded and returned to his seat across the table from Gregory. "You know, you have yet to have a meaningful conversation with Von, and it's been two weeks."

"You're right."

Gregory's eyes widened for a moment, and then he smiled. "When you get the chance, of course."

"Of course."

TLV

Aila walked into the police station, straight to the medical examiners' room. Rookery and an inspector stood to the side while the examiners talked over their initial findings in a corner. She walked right over to the body and examined the neck. The holes bulged slightly, and she could see clear globules. Gingerly, she poked at one of the holes, causing more of the substance to leak out of the body. "Venom," she said, attracting the attention of every other living person in the room. Rookery walked around the table to stand by her side. "I know this is weird tae yae, but if yae investigate without knowin' what yer gettin' intae, it'll just look weird. Yae have tae know what this is, and normal examinations won't tell yae. It takes a trained eye."

"This is why we had you called," the inspector said, stepping forward. "This is an unusual case. We need local experts."

Aila glanced at Rookery, who looked slightly smug. "Don' say anythin' tae the papers just yet. We gottae be able tae back it up with evidence, and we don' need more crazies in this town, not from a politician's perspective."

The inspector nodded. "You'd make a good detective or PR."

"Thank yae, but I like my job as it is."

The inspector nodded again, and Aila returned her attention to the body. She walked around the table and studied the second set of puncture wounds. This set was more elongated and considerably more swollen than the set opposite. They also seemed to taper at one end, the same end for both of them. If she looked closely enough, she thought she could see the wall of the blood vessel. "Whoever got tae this side tore away," she said. "Cannae fathom a motive right now, but that's what it looks like."

Rookery and the inspector joined her, both leaning in toward the body to study the bite marks. Aila's eyes drifted to the stake, and she nodded in understanding. Rookery stood and turned toward her. "Two attackers, one victim. What do you think?"

"Yae said there were more," she replied with a shrug. "Doesnae surprise me."

The inspector stood erect and raised an eyebrow. "Nothing to worry about, sir. We'll take care of it," Rookery said.

"I sure hope so," the inspector replied. "It sounds bad."

"It could be," Aila said. "Keep us posted and call us if yae need anythin'." The inspector nodded, a gesture Aila returned before walking out of the examiners' room, followed closely by Rookery. "Who else knows anythin'?"

"Those blasted vampire sympathizers, the Thompsons and Sackville-Baggs," Rookery replied, multiple notes of bitterness in his voice. Aila merely nodded in response, making a mental note of the names.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Bob picked up the morning paper off the porch and waved to the paper boy before walking back inside to the kitchen and taking his seat. Then he looked at the front page headline and did a double take. "Dottie, Tony?" he called, his voice wavering. Tony jumped down from his seat, and Dottie turned away from the water she was steeping. They both looked over Bob's shoulder, and then the three of them looked at each other.

"Uh-oh," Tony said.

"Uh-oh's right, bud." Bob lay the paper on the table with the front page up. The headline was in full view.

'Two more found dead, vampire-style serial killer suspected'.

TLV

The entire Sackville-Bagg family leaned over an identical newspaper, all trapped by uneasy silence and anxiously awaiting someone to break it. Gregory stepped back, his shoes echoing on the tile. Still, the family was silent. Rudolph looked at Anna, and then he swallowed and said, "It's getting worse."

"Well, of course it's getting worse," Gregory snapped. "They decided they're going to kill us all anyway, despite the media attention. The first one was a test."

"Who's next?" Anna asked.

"There's no way of knowing that," Rudolph said. "These vampires have no official leader, so anyone's a target."

"Which means anyone could die," Gregory added. "Us, the Thompsons, or even a complete stranger chosen at random."

"Which means we can't just notify the police," Frederick said.

"Ergo, Rookery," the three said at once. Anna and Freda exchanged looks and raised eyebrows.

The doorbell rang, and Frederick answered almost at once to a ginger young woman. "Aila McTavish," she said. "I hope this isnae a bad time?"

"Oh, no," he replied. "You're fine." He stepped aside and gestured for her to enter.

"I'd like tae ask you and yer family a few questions about the vampire case, if that's alright?"

"Who are you, exactly?"

"I'm Rookery's niece, since yae asked. I'm here to help him with a case." Frederick narrowed his eyes, and Aila reciprocated. "I'm not here tae stake anyone."

"How do I know you're not lying?"

"Am I armed?"

Frederick gave her a once-over and then asked, "What do you want to know?"

"Fer starters, dae yae know any of the vampires, or know of them?"

"The caretaker, John McMillan, and his victim, Lord McAshton," Gregory said from the door frame.

"So the late lord isn't late after all." Frederick turned to Gregory and then looked back at Aila, but he said nothing. "Anythin' else any ae yae know?"

"Some appear to be Romanian," Rudolph said, stepping up so that he was at his brother's side. "Others seem to be Scotsmen. A real eclectic mix." Aila nodded.

Frederick looked at her, and something in her eyes prompted her to say, "I told yae it wasnae just you I wanted tae talk to. It was yer family, too. Yae don't need tae be so uptight about it."

Frederick stepped back, eyes wide and eyebrows raised. "You're good."

"I'm not that good, sae feel free tae save it."

"Wow," he mouthed, not beneath Aila's notice.

"Sae yae know some of the vampires roamin' about town."

"It would seem that way," Rudolph said.

"What's the motive for thae attacks? And yes, I read thae mornin's headlines."

"No discernable motive," Gregory replied. "The only one we can fathom is that all this is revenge on this town for allowing the death of the Count, their leader."

"Count Dracula."

"Yes. This could also be running around like headless chickens without a leader to give them direction, or a response to infighting in search of a leader outside of the vampire who aided in the defeat of the Count in the first place."

"Which vampire would that be?"

"How do we know you're not going to kill him?" Frederick asked.

"If he killed another vampire, I think I'd wannae meet him, not stake him." Frederick raised an eyebrow. Aila looked from him to the brothers. She could see a girl and a woman in the kitchen. For a long moment, no one said anything. "Alright. Is it the twenty-somethin' with blond hair and a goatee?"

"Where've you seen him?" Rudolph asked.

"He dropped by the motel a couple nights ago. I know, it's a long shot, but it's the only one I've got, since yae won't give me a name." After another long, awkward pause, she said, "Fine, I'll talk tae the Thompsons." She turned and walked out of the house, leaving the Sackville-Baggs bewildered, to say the least.

TLV

Bob answered the door two seconds after it rang. "Aila McTavish," the ginger girl said. "I've got some questions for yae, and since the Sackville-Baggs gave me crap, I'm gonnae cut tae the chase with yae."

"Um, okay," Bob said.

"First thin's first. Yae know a twenty-somethin'-year-old with blond hair and a goatee?"

"Yeah, Von Sackville-Bagg. Of course, you'll have to come back at sunset if you want to talk to him."

"Thank yae. Now, what dae yae know about the vampire case?"

"Not a whole lot, just what's in the papers and on the news, and whatever the kids and Von happen to tell us." Aila nodded and shook his hand. "Bob Thompson."

"A pleasure tae meet such a forthcoming soul."

"Not a problem. Call us if you need anything. We're in the phone book now."

"Thanks." Aila nodded to first Bob and then the woman and boy in the hall behind him, and then she turned and walked out of the front door.

"She seems relatively nice," Bob said. "Practical and blunt, but nice."

"Considering the circumstances, I have to say I agree," Dottie replied. Tony checked the contents of his bag and then followed his mom to the car, saying goodbye to his dad on his way out the front door.

TLV

It was a few hours before twilight before the police would finally leave Rookery alone; he made a beeline for the office of his flat and combed the photo albums in search of the faces of the two most recent victims. He knew for a fact that they were familiar.

After ruling out a few albums as having nothing to do with anything vampiric, thus in need of relocation, he selected one labeled, 'The Line'. He thumbed through the pictures slowly, searching each of the portaits for the faces of the two victims. The older ones were copies of portraits of some of his niece's ancestors, the earliest members of the Line, but some of the later ones, photographs, aroused his interest. Then, toward the end of the album, he found the two photographs, the two victims, he was looking for, as well as another photo he wasn't expecting.

The first victim.

He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialled a number. The sun was beginning to set by then.

"What happened?" Aila asked the second she took the call.

"You've got to get down here," Rookery replied. "I've got something you'll want to see."

"About the vampire case?"

"Yeah."

A pause on the other end indicated to Rookery that Aila had caught her breath. "I'm on my way," she said, and then she hung up.

TLV

Aila pocketed her phone and a wooden stake, and then she walked out of the motel and down the street. Twilight was in full force, and it would soon be the time of vampires. More victims would be claimed. More people would be targeted.

She squared her shoulders and took a deep breath. Everything would work out, she told herself, but she didn't believe it.

She heard footsteps on the other side of the square and turned toward them. A man with blond hair dressed in a Shakespearian-style costume met her gaze, and she crossed the square. "Von, right?" she asked. He nodded. "Aila McTavish."

"A pleasure," he replied. "May I walk with you?"

"To a point. I'm goin' tae my uncle's tae talk about the vampire case."

"Ah. I take it you'll want me to hide from him."

"Yae helped kill a vampire. Fer what it's worth, I won't be thae one tae kill yae."

"Thank you. I appreciate that."

Aila smiled and nodded. "Sae, what're yae out roamin' about for? Food?"

"Pleasure. I fed last night."

"On one ae the humans?"

"Oh, heavens no. We Sackville-Baggs, when we were all vampires, fed off cows. I still do."

"What daes that do tae the cows?"

"It takes a little while for them to become full vampires, so it's relatively safe, at least, it seems that way. I wouldn't eat venom-tainted meat, but that's just me."

"Vampires don' eat meat." Von smiled. Aila spotted the flat and the truck in the driveway. She turned to face him. "Will I see yae again?"

"I could wait for you, if you like."

"Y'know what, I would like that." She smiled to him and then walked into the flat.

"Good, you're here," Rookery said, turning from the office desk as she walked in. "Take a look at this." He passed her the open photo album, and her eyes widened.

"Oh, my God."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

"We have tae take care of the bodies right away," Aila whispered, looking up from the three photos. "All three."

"I already staked the first one," Rookery replied.

"And he hasnae come back?"

"So far as I know."

"So we've gottae get the other two soon."

"A little late now, since the sun's already set. The bodies are being autopsied at this point."

"I dunno about you, but I wouldnae wanna be up for that."

"True."

"Think yae can handle them or dae yae need help?"

Rookery glanced down at the photos and then looked up at Aila again. "You want to come?"

Aila paused. Her faced relaxed, and her arms went limp on her. "If yae need me to."

"Tell you what. I'll call you if I need help."

Aila nodded and smiled softly. "I'm a phone call away."

"Alright." Rookery got to his feet and walked out of the office, followed by Aila. He picked up his stake launcher and cross and then walked out to the truck. Aila walked out of the flat and down the street. Von leaned against the brick wall of a building.

"How did it go?"

"Reasonably well, considerin'."

"So, where are you going now?"

"I don't know."

"Well, wherever it is, may I walk with you again?"

"Why not?"

They set off down the street at a leisurely pace. "Where are you from?" Von asked.

"A small village in the highlands, like all other McTavishes, but I'm goin' tae university in Edinburgh."

"And how is that working for you?"

"Gets me away from my crazy family and all our skeletons, sae I guess reasonably well."

"That's good. I didn't know you thought so negatively of your family, since you don't look it, but what do I know? I had to hide from humanity for centuries."

Aila chewed her lip. "It sounds like a tough life."

"I spent most of it playing dead, but it is tough. You forget whether you're alive or dead, whether you're awake or dreaming."

"Dae yae get so weary yae wannae sleep for as long as possible?"

"Sometimes. You seem to have a sympathy for our kind, in spite of your position."

"Yae think so?"

"It's a possibility."

Aila smiled at Von. "Yer rather a friendly vampire, not the savage type I was always told tae expect. Maybe yae earn my sympathy."

"Oh, really?"

"Maybe." She turned to face him. The two stood in the middle of the square, and she looked over at the half moon, just rising in the east. "Yae pick a good time tae walk."

"Thank you." He stepped toward her. "I meant what I said the other night. I'm sorry about your witnessing Andrew's death."

"I'm sorry I let it happen," she whispered. "He's got a family. You're, what? His brother?"

"Cousin."

"He's got family, friends, a life. He used to be human, before he was turned, whenever that was, and he was taken away from all that." Von let out a soft breath, and Aila whispered, "Sorry I took your time."

"No, you're fine. I'm here if you ever need to talk."

"Thanks." She turned and walked down the street toward the motel.

TLV

Von combed through the minds of the citizens as he walked to the Sackville-Bagg home, where the children were gathered that night, in an effort to gather as much information on the case as he possibly could. The only ones who knew anything were Rookery, Aila, the Thompsons, and the Sackville-Baggs, and what they knew was only slightly more than what was known the previous day.

He slipped into the house and walked down the stairs to the basement, mentally sorting through the details. So far, the vampires were targeting threats to the succession of a leader, which gave credence to Gregory's theory of infighting over the top spot, and it was strongly suspected that the caretaker and the late lord were the masterminds behind all this, but the motive was almost indeterminant.

Vampires weren't usually powerhungry. That was a demeaning trait considered characteristic of hellspawns and highly frowned upon, at least in his experience. Unless, he thought, the vampires were turned by or spent time in the service of a hellspawn, which the caretaker and Lord McAshton obviously did.

He lay in the chest and shifted his position. His mind was heavy, and he wanted to sleep, but he felt it was almost impossible with everything else taking place.

Then, contrary to his own assessment, he almost free-fell into sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Aila's phone rang the next morning, and she answered with a sleepy greeting. "Aila, thank God," her roommate Leslie exclaimed in a Lowland accent that sounded remarkably like an English one. "We were about to send a search party."

"I'm fine," Aila grumbled.

"You disappeared from the dorm in the middle of the night. What else could we think?"

"I had a family emergency. My uncle needs me to help him with a case."

"Oh."

Aila knew Leslie thought Rookery was crazy, so the reply was no surprise to her. She hung up without another word and went back to sleep.

TLV

Rudolph, Anna, and Tony joined Bob and Dottie at the breakfast table. Bob passed Rudolph the paper, and Rudolph scanned the front page headlines. "Any identification on the three victims yet, or any indication?" he asked, returning the paper to Bob.

"They're not talkin', if they know," Bob replied. "They do mention something about a strange substance discovered on all three of the victims, though. Nobody but the officers were interviewed, though. I've got a feeling they're gonna do a follow-up."

"Strange substance? As in vampire venom?"

"Doesn't say, but if this really is the work of psycho vampires, it wouldn't surprise me."

"Speaking of, what do we do about them? We can't just kill them, if there really are so many as purported. We have to drive them out of town, make sure they're gone for good or we're stuck with them, or their spirits."

"What do vampires like about this town so much, anyway?"

"We guard the Stone of Attamon, and I don't know about you, but I don't know anywhere else the Comet Attamon meets the moon and allows the return to humanity."

"That's a good point."

"This place has sacred significance, which is probably what attracted Dracula to the area in the first place. But if his army stayed, one may assume more of a revenge motive, or one may believe they are trying to establish themselves here as a permanent force. They don't have an official leader yet, but I think it's reasonable to assume it's either the caretaker or Lord McAshton, the Count's two de facto right hands."

"Wow, you've given a lot of thought to this."

"It's the only scenario that makes any sense, considering my experience. Plus I think Von let it slip when he perused my mind." Bob nodded slowly in understanding. "The major problem, based on the evidence, seems to be the succession, the problem of who's going to be the new top vampire."

"Isn't that pretty clear cut?"

"For as long as any of us could remember, it's been Dracula."

"And now he's no more."

"Exactly. The problem is several characters are in the play at this point: you have Von, who helped slay the Count, you have the Count's two right hands, you have the Count's supporters and successors in the old country, a whole host of vampires."

"What about humans?" Tony asked. "You said it was possible for vampires to have babies."

"Under a certain set of circumstances, and they aren't technically human. They're called _dhampires_, halflings. Sometimes the blood is passed on, and a Line is created. That would be a cause of concern to the succession issue, assuming the Count does have a Line."

"You mean a vampire can have a half-human offspring, who has a three-quarters human offspring, and so on and so forth?" Bob asked.

"Yes, exactly."

"What if a member of one of these so-called Lines showed up in McAshtonland tomorrow?"

"Then everything goes to H-E-Double hockey sticks, as you say."

"How much of a vampire would somebody be if they were from a Line?" Tony asked.

"Not very much. A very, very small fraction of the person would be immortal." Tony nodded and returned to his cereal.

"Will it be enough?" Bob asked.

"It might be, but it might not. Largely it depends on the type of person the halfling happens to be. Why do you ask?"

"Just curious." Bob took a sip of his coffee and opened the paper to the sports section.

TLV

Gregory, Tony, Rudolph, and Anna gathered on the primary school campus that afternoon. Anna and Tony had drifted ahead, and Gregory had already heard about Rudolph's conversation from his little brother. "I talked to Father," he said in a low voice.

"Just to be clear, you actually, honestly talked?" Rudolph asked.

"Yeah."

"Well, how'd it go?"

"Reasonably well, I guess."

"You don't really know whether or not to believe a word that he said."

"Well I can't be sure."

"The cards are all on the table, though?"

"Yeah."

"Good."

"Any word yet on the victims?"

"Apparently a substance, most likely vampire venom, has been discovered. Of course, no one's saying anything, but if it got out that evidence for vampires' existence has been discovered, there's no telling what it could mean for Von, or any of the members of the Lines."

"Lines are still around?"

Rudolph nodded. "There are easily thousands of members of Lines alive today. If the Count has a Line, that would be a problem. If he had several, that would also be a problem, but for purposes of planning, let's assume one."

"What if one of his descendents is in McAshtonland?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Just curious."

"Well, it would certainly attract a lot of unwanted vampiric attention."

"Well, duh."

"And the trouble is, a member of the Line, if he or she knew, would most likely want a piece of the action, and what better way than to become the most powerful vampire on the face of the earth? You could have anything you ever wanted with a word, almost literally. A thought, even. That can be very seductive to some people."

"It can also attract the attention of vampires who want the top spot."

"And therein lies the crux of the matter, assuming, of course, that this is the case."

Gregory stopped and turned toward Rudolph. "Now, what if there's a whole Line in this village, or a large chunck of it?"

"Meaning more than one member? Then it must not have been much of a problem until Dracula's demise and-Greg, you're a genius!"

"I am?"

"Dracula does have a Line, and members have been living in McAshtonland for generations, and that's the connection between the three otherwise unrelated victims."

Gregory's eyes widened, and he called over his shoulder, "Anna, Tony, wait up. We have a hit."

TLV

"So you've figured it out," Von said after the kids' meeting was called in Tony's bedroom after sunset.

"Yes," Rudolph replied from his position next to Tony on the bed. "We just don't know how many halflings are currently living in McAshtonland."

"That's the problem, it seems."

Gregory picked up Tony's backpack and checked to ensure that the bottles of water and containers of garlic powder and salt were still inside, and then he let the bag fall to the floor and leaned back against the door, folding his arms across his chest. "Can't you feel the halflings?" he asked, a little annoyed.

"I only feel one. Her name is Aila McTavish, Rookery's niece. She won't talk about her Line, perhaps because she is ashamed of it. Other than that, she seems to express a sympathy for vampires, though she states that perhaps certain vampires earn her sympathy. She also seems perfectly reasonable, even pragmatic. Harbors disgust toward Lord Richard McAshton and has a roommate in Edinburgh in college who thinks the dorm is haunted."

"Age?" Rudolph asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Mid to late twenties, ginger, with green-hazel eyes."

"And in spite of being a vampire hunter, you think it's reasonable to have contact with her," Gregory said.

"Yes, I do," Von replied. "After all, she doesn't seem like a complete loon like her uncle."

"Alright, I don't know about Greg, but I'll concede that," Rudolph said. "It certainly beats hanging around a crazy person."

"You know what? I vote yes on that count, too," Gregory added.

"Do you think she's a member of the same line as the others?"

"We can't be certain unless she tells us something," Von replied. "I can only feel halflings. Determining the origin of a Line is something I cannot do without assistance."

"Well, maybe we should find her and ask her."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Aila held a worn leather belt up at arm's length, shoulder height, studying it carefully. At regular intervals along its length were pockets for vials of holy water, garlic juice, and other necessary items, as well as holsters for stakes and crosses.

She folded the belt and set it on the table next to the television. Someone knocked on her door just as she turned to the starter kit. She turned and walked over to the door, opening it to Von and four children, one of them a teenager. "I guess you could call these my charges," Von said. He gestured to each in turn and named them: Gregory, the teenager; Anna, Rudolph, and Tony. "We'd like to talk to you about something. May we come in?"

"It's about the Line, isnae it," she said flatly.

"If that's a problem, we understand perfectly." The kids nodded vigorously in agreement.

"The victims, I know about them. They're distant cousins, all on thae same Line, from thae same vampire."

"Which vampire?"

"We worked a case fer them. They're not sure. John and I heard everythin' from some daywalker or fledglin' tae Count Dracula himself."

"Well, they wouldn't be targeted if the originator was a daywalker or fledgling."

"Sae they're bein' targeted because they're related tae Dracula?"

Von noticed immediately the flash of dread in Aila's eyes. "Yes," he whispered.

"When I deal with John, dae yae want me tae name yae, or do yae want tae remain anonymous?"

"I'd prefer to be anonymous right now."

"Alright." Aila stepped aside and gestured for the group to enter. "I want tae know everythin' you do about the Line."

Von and the humans walked into the motel room, and the two prepubescent boys took a seat on the bed. Von stood off to the side with Gregory, and Anna slid into a sitting position at the foot of the bed. "Where do you want us to start?" Von asked.

"The victims, yae think they're all from thae same Line?"

"Yes."

"And I know yae know I'm a halflin'. Yae think I'm one ae them, too?"

"We're trying to determine that, among other things."

"Among what other things?"

"The originator of the Line."

"What dae you think?"

"Well, you referred to only one, so I suspect there to be only one. Given your halfling status, I also suspect you to be part of it, a distant relative of the three victims as you yourself state in so many words. If they're being targeted, it's because they pose a threat to the current de facto leader of the vampires."

"Yae been pokin' around in my mind, haven't yae?"

"I had to see what everyone knows. I wanted us to all be on the same page as early and as consistently as possible."

"Sae yae been in everybody's minds."

"Yes."

"At least it's not just me."

"I know this is an extremely personal matter for you, but it's important. It will help us determine the vampire killer and prevent future deaths." Aila nodded. "Was there a family legend or story that indicates the first dhampir, or even his father?"

Aila licked her lip. "We have tons of stories, Von."

"Which one is the most common?"

"There's the story of a man who came all the way to Scotland from Romania and hooked up with a woman. The child had a normal life, all things considerin', and when he died, he was staked and beheaded. A family tradition of vampire huntin' and ritualistic corpse mutilation was born."

"Do you know any names?"

"The man was never given a name. He was just referred to as a soul-sucker."

"Soul-sucker?" Rudolph asked, raising an eyebrow. "Not blood-sucker?"

"The soul and the blood were interchangeable, were they not?"

"He means that the phrase 'soul-sucker' describes a being closer in description to a hellspawn rather than a vampire," Von said. "And before you say anything, there is a difference."

"Considerin' yer a vampire and not about tae rip my neck open, I can kinda figure."

"Oh, yes, she's definitely not as crazy as Rookery," Gregory said.

"Thank yae."

"I just never cared for the texture of human blood," Von said. "It was always wrong."

"So that's your reason," Anna said, turning her head toward Von.

"What were you expecting? A mutation?"

Aila smiled to herself upon seeing how Von bantered with these children. It reminded her of long-ago days when she would visit the Highlands with a young, innocent mind unburdened by thoughs of vampires, halflings, or the Line. When she had plenty of time, nothing to do, and not a care in the world, especially for forces of darkness.

"Dae yae have a suspect for the origin of thae Line?" she asked suddenly.

Von looked at Aila with wide eyes. "We were hoping you could provide that."

"Yae said somethin' about a succession? Or a vampire leader bein' threatened by thae presence ae thae Line members?"

"Yes, I did."

"Dae yae mean anythin' tae do with the late Count Dracula?"

"Yes...I do."

"Well, isnae that clue enough? Tae me, the writin's on the wall."

"But we haven't figured out who's leading the vampires right now," Rudolph said.

"Easy fix."

"How?"

"I have my ways."

TLV

Rookery walked out of McAshton Castle to answer his ringing cell phone. "Vampkill Limited," he said. "How may we be of assistance?"

"Yae busy?" Aila asked.

"Not at the moment."

"Fantastic. We need to track down a vampire leader."

"Clearly that didn't work the first time."

"We need tae find out who has a stake in this succession war, no pun intended."

"Succession war?"

"Apparently some vampires are fighting over who gets tae be the most powerful creature of the night on the face of the earth."

"Let 'em fight. Let 'em kill each other."

"Here's the thing. If they fight, someone might win. If someone wins, we have a new target, and the cycle starts over. If we get rid of the major claimants, we might have a shot at some peace in this town."

Rookery paused. That was the most tempting offer he'd heard all night, and he'd heard a lot of tempting offers, especially from the new Lord McAshton. "What sort of vampire leader do you think we're dealing with."

"That's the problem. Look, I've got some friends who will need tae start headin' home, since it's gettin' late fer us mortals. I'll need yer help canvasin' the area tae see what we can find, and-"

"Wait," Rookery said. A muffled sound from inside McAshton Castle had attracted his attention. "Hold on a sec." With the phone in one hand and the neon cross in the other, he walked back into the castle. Several of the staff pointed him in the direction of the sound, and he eventually walked down into a basement-storage-area that smelled of death, or vampires. He tiptoed into the basement, not daring to switch on the cross until he felt it absolutely necessary.

But its light didn't reveal a cowering vampire.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Rookery's curt words on the other end of the line immediately promted Aila to hang up, sling the duffel bag on the carpet next to an arm chair over her shoulder, and turn to her guests. "Go home," she said.

"What?" Von asked.

"Go. It's not safe fer yae. Somethin's happened, and yae need tae go home."

"What happened?"

"Jus' go." Aila opened the door to the room and stepped aside. "C'mon. I havenae got all day."

"Gregory, take the kids and go," Von said, and before Gregory could protest, he pushed him out the door. The younger humans followed. Von flicked his wrist at the door, which slammed shut despite Aila's hold on the knob. "I want to come with you."

"Why? Yae know Rookery's gonnae try tae kill yae."

"It doesn't matter. I've heard enough to know that this is worse than anything you've encountered before. I want to come with you."

"Dae yae have any idea what he's goin' tae say tae me if he sees us?"

Von closed his eyes and tilted his head to one side for a moment. "I have an idea."

"Sae don't do it."

"I don't mean to be pushy, really, I don't, but do you understand that this is a serious matter?"

"Yes, I do understand. Every case is serious tae us, sae let me work."

"Rookery's tone was enough to tell me this isn't a normal case."

"The reason I'm down here is enough fer me tae know this isn't a normal case."

Von sighed. "If you ever need me, whistle."

In that instant, all tension and anger left Aila's body. "What?" she asked, creasing her brow.

"Do you know how?"

"Is there a specific way?"

Von whistled an etherial note that seemed to want to endure as long as possible. Aila attempted an imitation, though it took her a few attempts to get it right. "I'll let you leave now. You don't want to be late." She nodded and walked out the door.

TLV

"Alright, what've we got?" Aila asked as she descended the steps. Rookery turned toward her, but the neon cross hovered over the body. She walked up to him, and he turned his head back toward the corpse. She studied the form in the tattered suit, with two bite marks, almost gashes, in his neck and his eyes frozen open in a final, terrifed stare. The jaw hung slack, revealing a gleaming white fang.

"Lord McAshton," Rookery said. He tried to sound professional, but Aila could tell he was choking slightly on his own words.

"The late lord."

"Aye."

"Killed by another vampire. This is an unusual case."

"Well, how do we determine which vampire killed him?"

"Obviously it's someone who had a claim tae the top spot in vampire world. That's thae only reason I can think of why another vampire would be killed." Rookery gave her a sidelong glance and raised an eyebrow, but Aila continued to study the victim. "We can always ask around, see what thae townsfolk know about thae situation, make sure no one gets hurt and thae like. That may be our best bet."

"If they can't tell us?"

"Believe me, I know someone who can tell us."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Positive."

Rookery straightened, his cross still trained on the dead body of the vampire Lord McAshton. "And if a vampire killed another vampire, or anyone, I think I know where he'd be. Where they all go to celebrate a kill," Rookery said, switching the cross off. Aila found the sudden darkness to be unnerving. He turned and walked up the stairs, and she rushed after him, eager for the light of the foyer.

TLV

Gregory, Tony, Anna, and Rudolph were three-fourths of the way across the square when the sound of footsteps made Gregory and then the others turn. Von hurried across the cobblestones toward them, and in a matter of seconds he was beside them. "She has a strong will," he said.

"Don't tell me you like her already," Gregory said.

"Give it a rest," Rudolph added. "It's been three hundred years."

"He spent most of that time lying next to Elizabeth, mind you," Anna said.

"My love life is my business, thank you very much," Von said. "Point being, I am a little worried about her. I can tell she can handle herself quite well, and I won't meddle, typically because that gets me in trouble. Either way, this is bigger than either her or her hunter uncle understand. It's also consididerably more dangerous."

"Hasn't she trained for this her whole life, this Aila?" Rudolph asked. "She certainly looks it."

"I can only assume so, and we'll need all the help we can get."

Von fell half a pace behind the humans as they finished crossing the square. He looked over his shoulder at McAshton Castle, where Rookery's truck was still parked. What on Earth was going on up there? he wondered. "You four go on," he said. He turned and walked back across the square without making a sound.

Carefully, he stepped up the hill, taking the greatest care with his movements to remain completely silent. He could hear voices even from half-way down the hill, talking in hushed tones about a body in the cellar.

He quickened his pace and reached the path without incident. Now the question became how to get around the truck and into the cellar while escaping notice.

He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply through his nose. While the stench of garlic almost made him gag, he focused on the smell of death and followed it around to the side of the castle. Gingerly, he loosened the catch on the window and slipped inside, re-fastening the catch behind him. From the dining room he had entered, he could see Rookery and the new Lord McAshton discussing the issue of the body.

"Well, what am I to do?" the lord asked. "What am I to say? The whole town already believes him to be dead."

"They believe him to be a vampire," Rookery replied. "You can prove to the world that he really is dead. Your position will still stand."

"You think all I care about is my position?"

"Quite frankly, yes."

The lord huffed and straightened, though Von wouldn't have thought it possible, and tilted his nose in the air. "I want you to get these vampires out of my town, Rookery. Every last one of the filthy things. Then we'll talk about you and your little assistant leaving, too. How does that sound?"

"My 'assistant' has a name," Rookery hissed, "and until we understand and eliminate this threat in the most effective manner possible, we will not be leaving." Rookery stuck a cigar in is mouth and lit it, puffing a few times. "And as to the matter of the body in your cellar, you know as well as I it will be sent to the coroner, who is already familiar with the circumstances of the other victims. That puts poor, inexperienced, naive you in the center of a vampire investigation. Do you really want me gone for that?"

"There will be no such investigation, not as long as I see to it."

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that." Rookery puffed on his cigar, and Von felt with his mind, finding Aila pacing back and forth in front of the door to the cellar, either keeping watch or trying to process what had just happened. "There's a whole 'nother world out there, and they're starting to figure out where to look for it."

Something in Rookery's words made Von jerk involuntarily. His hand hit the counter, attracting the attention of both men. Rookery stormed into the dining room, brandishing the neon cross, and Von stumbled back in an attempt to avoid it.

Aila ran into the dining room, and at the first available opportunity she placed herself between Rookery and Von, her hands up. Von froze, Rookery narrowed his eyes, and Aila looked between the two of them, waiting for Rookery to lower the cross. He did precisely the opposite-she was suddenly yanked back and into the table, and Rookery pushed his way past her toward Von. Aila got to her feet and shoved Rookery as hard as she could. His shoulder slammed into the counter, and she stepped in front of Von.

Rookery pushed himself to his feet and stumbled a couple steps. "What are you doing?" he spat.

"We've got bigger fish tae fry than Von," she replied. "Remember, there's a body in the cellar."

"How do we know he's not the one that got to him?"

"He was with me thae whole time."

Rookery sneered. "Somehow that makes him worse."

"Will yae stop?"

"Sympathizer," he hissed, tossing her aside once more. Von stepped forward, and Rookery flew back into the wall.

"Drop that cross," Von said in a low voice. The cross slipped out of Rookery's hand. He tried to get up, but Von said, "Stay where you are." He approached the hunter slowly, and Aila propped herself up on her elbows to watch. "Do you value your life?" Rookery nodded. "Touch her in anger again and you will lose it." Rookery struggled to his feet, but an unseen force kept him on the floor, staring up at Von. "Do you understand me?" Rookery nodded. "Good."

Von lowered himself to the floor, and Aila pulled herself to her feet. He turned toward her and held one of his hands out. She stepped back and walked out into the foyer. She walked out the front door and was slightly past Rookery's truck when she heard the front door open and close again. She turned, took a few steps back, and studied Von. "What?" she asked. "Wannae protect people? That it?"

"That was how we were raised. It's chivalrous."

"In case yae hadn't noticed, I can handle myself."

"I'm very well aware of the fact. I can tell as much by looking at you. People need a little assistance sometimes, is all."

"And you don't?"

"Oh, believe me, I do."

"With what?"

"With becoming human again. I need assurance for three hundred years that the stone is going to be safe. I need a human family to help protect it. I might need help finding food, or recovering from an attack."

"Alright, alright, shut up. I get it."

"Do you? Because I don't see any sign of you admitting to your fears and inadequacies."

"Because I can't," she yelled suddenly. Her arms fell to her sides and she bowed her head. "It's an embarrassing secret that we don't dare discuss."

"I understand."

"Good."

Von let out a breath. "I'm sorry I intervened," he said. "I'm sorry I caused you trouble or harm. I swear that it will never happen again." He turned and disappeared. Aila glanced at the front door and walked down the path to McAshtonland proper. To the motel.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Aila had decided what to do about the vampires within minutes of arriving back in her hotel room. She picked up the leather belt on the table and examined each pocket. Save a few vials of garlic juice, it was empty. She would be virtually defenseless if she wore it.

I'll just go during the day, is all, she thought.

Then she felt it, a gust of wind that was colder than usual for that time of year, bearing with it the stench of death, the stench of vampires. She turned toward the window, magically open, and moved to close it. The lamp in the corner across from the door flickered on and off, and in the interim of light and darkness, a figure straight out of the obituaries stood in front of the window. Dammit, she thought.

The figure approached, a sick smile on his face. Okay, you freak, if you want a fight, I'll give you one. She balled a fist and narrowed her eyes slightly. A little closer, she coaxed in her mind. You know you want it. The figure approaced and opened his mouth, baring his fangs. Aila struck.

She hit the man harder than she expected, and he dropped to the floor in a daze. She kicked his face, and he latched on to her ankle. "Gonnae play dirty, eh?" she asked, kneeling beside him. She punched him in the face a second time, and he let go, only to latch onto her throat with both hands and press her against the wall. Before she could react, he moved to sink his fangs into her neck.

Then he jerked back, his claws scratching at her neck. She was pulled forward and sank to her knees, staring up at her would-be attacker. "You're one of them," he hissed. "You're one of His." Then he snarled and bared his fangs. She dove to the left, narrowly avoiding the vampire.

She got to her feet and assumed a fighting stance. "You really wannae mess with one ae Dracula's kids?" Fear crossed the vampire's eyes, and he made a beeline for the window. Aila latched it tight behind him and sprinkled garlic juice on the windowsill. "I need tae change my profession," she muttered.

TLV

Tony looked at the calendar, and he couldn't help but notice that the next full moon was coming on them. It would be close to Halloween by then, he noted. Prime time for whatever vampires wanted to come out and play. "Hey, Tony," Dottie said, pouring herself a cup of tea and taking a seat across the table from him.

"Hey, Mom," he replied. "Any idea why Dad left early today?"

"Oh, I'm sure something came up. There's been a lot of talk about the vampire murders lately. Maybe it's something to do with that?"

"What kind of murder?"

"Well, we don't know that, or even if anyone ended up dead. We'll have to wait and see."

TLV

Gregory turned a chair around and straddled it, his arms folded on the back of the chair. Rudolph was to one side, Anna across from him, close to Freda, and Frederick and his newspaper seemed isolated from the rest of the family, even though they were all sitting at the same dining room table. Rudolph and Anna looked at each other and then returned to their bowls of cereal. It didn't take a rocket scientist to see the apprehension about the potential of the situation on their faces.

He turned his gaze to Frederick, who was busy with the morning paper and a cup of coffee. He looked at Freda, who gave him a small reassuring smile, and he smiled in return. This was going decently, so far. "Breakfast, dear?" Freda asked.

"I'm not hungry," Gregory replied. "Thanks, anyway."

Rudolph glanced at the front page and then did a double-take. "What happened at McAshton Castle?"

Frederick looked up from the paper with raised eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

"It's on the front page. Apparently something happened at McAshton Castle and speculation is rampant." Frederick turned to the front page and considered the headline. "Do you know anything about that?"

"Not more than I've read," Frederick replied. Rudolph nodded and returned to his cereal. "I noticed Robert left early for McAshton Castle. Perhaps he might know something."

"Perhaps."

TLV

Aila packed the few items that escaped the duffel bag back into it and checked the room for her keys and phone, which she promptly pocketed. She fixed the bed and walked over to the closet when someone knocked on her door. She answered to Rookery, keeping a clenched fist at the ready. "What dae you want?"

"Leaving already?" Rookery asked.

"Yae don't want a sympathizer around."

"The case still needs to be worked through."

"Shut up."

Rookery glanced over her shoulder and then at her neck. "What happened in here last night."

"Get out."

"What?"

"Yae already expressed that yae don't want anythin' tae do with me, sae get the hell out." She slammed the door in his face without waiting for a response, slung the duffel bag over her shoulder, and then returned to the door. She pushed him out of the way and stormed out of the building.

She paid for the time she spent in the motel and walked out to her car. She tossed the bag into the back seat and climbed in behind the wheel. She put the key in the ignition switch but stopped there and leaned back in her seat, allowing her arms to fall into her lap. Von, she thought.

What am I gonna do about him? It's not like I can stick around until nightfall, unless I slept in my car and then left immediately after seeing him.

Aila groaned and ran her fingers through her hair. "Goddamn my life," she muttered, starting the car and pulling out of the parking lot.

TLV

"What happened?" Rudolph asked when Bob walked into the living room. He, Tony, Anna, and Gregory had gathered around the coffee table.

Bob walked over to the armchair and said, "It's Lord McAshton, the older one. He's dead, for good."

"So he was killed?"

"Yeah."

"Who killed him?" Gregory asked.

"Not who. What. Apparently it was a vampire." Tony swallowed and looked at Rudolph, who lay a hand on his shoulder. Anna's gaze fixed on him, concern in her eyes. "Von still in the basement?"

"So far as we know," Rudolph replied.

"Is Tony going to be alright?" Anna asked, looking up at Bob.

"He should be. I figure as long as at least one expert is around, you guys have the edge."

"That's good, I think," Gregory said. Bob nodded and walked into the kitchen. Gregory reached over, picked up Tony's backpack, and unzipped it. "Good, it's all here," he said, closing the backpack and tossing it aside. "Now we just need to figure out what we're going to do about this crazed vampire-hellspawn thing that keeps claiming victims."

"Bait it," Rudolph said.

"What?"

"It works simply. We have Von, also a claimant as the top vampire. We find this crazed person, tell him there's someone else he needs to kill, and point him in the right direction. In the mean time, whoever hasn't gone out to find him sets up shop over here, and we kill him."

"Do you really think that's going to work that easily?"

"Do you have another plan, genius?" Gregory turned his eyes toward his brother, but he didn't say anything. "Question is, how do we go about it?"

TLV

Aila sighed and climbed out of the car. The sun was beginning to set; she'd been sleeping off and on all day and in her waking moments prepping her goodbye speech to Von. After a quick stretch-out and a moment to rub the sleep from her eyes, she looked in both directions along the dirt road weaving through the forest and then climbed back into her car.

She ran through her speech one more time as she drove. She had a long night ahead of her, of which this was only the beginning.

She reached the town limits, and she scanned the road before her as it turned to pavement. The road continued straight for a while before she turned a corner closer to McAshtonland proper. She turned a corner, and finally she parked on the road leading to the Thompsons' house. Von stood at the gate with a solemn face.

Aila climbed out of the car and walked over toward him. "What's goin' on?" she asked.

"I needed some air," he replied. "The kids have this idea that they can bait and trap the vampire roaming around killing people. I had to get away from that."

"Dae you have a better plan?" This was not playing out as she had planned. Von's brow creased. "Let's go inside." Von led Aila inside into the living room, and she noticed that the humans she had met the previous night were all wide awake, circling the coffee table. "I heard yae had a plan tae bait a vampire," she said to no one in particular.

"Well, no one else could come up with a better one," Anna replied.

"Well, it makes perfect sense, I'll give yae that, but I don't recommend any ae yae go out there. I'll do it."

"What?" Von asked.

"I'll do it. I'll go and bait this vampire ae yers, and bring him back here, or wherever yae want him."

"The square," Rudolph said. "It's public, and you're within earshot of at least one person. If you need to scream, of course."

"Alright."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Von asked.

"Well, it wasnae my original plan, but if yae got a vampire problem, yae got a vampire problem. That's all there is to it. There's just one condition, though."

"What?"

"Those kids agree tae stay out of trouble."

Von looked at the kids, three of whom nodded. "No promises," Gregory said, folding his arms across his chest.

"Alright, fair enough. Let me get my bag and let's go."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Rookery put the truck in park and switched off the lights, leaving only the radar active. He lit a cigar, shook out the match, and tossed it out the window. For all intents and purposes, the graveyard seemed relatively quiet, but for all he knew, a vampire or similar freak of nature could be lying in wait for him.

A blip appeared at the edge of the radar screen, and he took up the stake launcher, took a mental note of the position, and climbed out of the truck. He crossed the graveyard in measured steps.

Something rustled, and Rookery turned, ready to fire. Aila stepped out from behind a headstone, a duffel bag on her shoulder. "I thought you left already," he said, lowering the weapon.

"Had somethin' tae take care of," she replied flatly. "Thought yae didnae want tae see me again. Doesnae matter. We have a vampire problem tae take care of."

"We?"

"Hello," Von said, appearing from behind the headstone. Rookery stepped toward him, and Aila moved between them.

"Remember what I said," she said. He stepped down. She turned toward the center of the graveyard. "Alright, let's see what we've got here." She walked toward the asphalt path. "Von, feel anything?"

"Not here." Rookery growled, and Von distanced himself from the hunter. "And he wouldn't come here, anyway. The cliffs are a short walk away."

"What're we waitin' for? Let's go." She walked down the path, followed closely by Von at at a slightly greater distance by Rookery. They continued that way without a word between them, and finally, they reached the bend in the dirt road where the forest opened to the ruin-littered cliff.

"Where's your bloodsucking fiend?" Rookery asked.

The breeze drifted over the cliff, chilling the air. "Here," Von said. Along the breeze fluttered a bat who hovered over the cliff for a moment and transformed into a humanoid, the caretaker. The caretaker stepped toward Aila, and she thought, Here's your chance to off this thing.

The caretaker snickered and gestured to her, jerking her forward by some unseen force. She stumbled to keep up with it, tripping over her own feet. Rookery cocked the stake launcher, and Von untied his cape and tossed it aside.

Aila remembered that she dropped him with one hit, and as she regained her footing, she struggled not to panic. She took a deep breath, jumped, and kicked him in the chest. Then she took a few steps back. "Yae want me outtae thae picture, yae gottae come and get me first." The caretaker approached. Rookery cocked the stake launcher. Von stepped forward.

The caretaker snarled. Aila took another deep breath and nodded over her shoulder to Rookery. Von walked around to the man's back, and Aila grabbed the man's jacket and spun him toward the hunter. Rookery fired, landing three shots into the vampire's back. Aila continued to force him around, and Von, with inhuman speed, pulled him toward the edge of the cliff and tore two long, deep gashes into his neck.

The caretaker shrieked and tore himself away from Von, stumbling over to the cliff and jumping. The soft, momentary glow indicated that he tried to transform into a bat, but the splash indicated that he had failed. "That's it?" Aila asked.

"He'll likely be back," Von replied.

Rookery nodded curtly and walked down the dirt road into the forest.

Aila stepped forward, toward the edge of the cliff. "I don't like anticlimactic vampire cases."

Von chuckled. The smile faded, and he turned toward her. "I really am sorry about what happened."

"I know yae are. That's why I'm lettin' yae off easy."

He smiled again. "The cliffs are a good place to start over."

"Sounds that way. Y'know, this night did not go as I had planned."

"Do they ever?"

"Good point."

"You should go back to school, to Edinburgh."

"The vampire's still alive. I cannae leave now. The case isnae finished."

"You take your business extremely professionally."

"I wonder if I'm gonnae keep at it, considering. Rookery knows, or thinks, I'm a sympathizer. Sympathizers donnae make good vampire hunters, at least not historically speakin'."

"Has it ever occurred to anyone in your family that a vampire can help you hunt vampires? I've been pondering the issue for some time, off and on."

"What's it mean fer you, since yae nearly killed the caretaker, fer good?"

"It means either he or I more likely to take Dracula's place."

"Is that a bad thing?"

Von shrugged. "I haven't figured that out yet."

Aila nodded. "Well, either way, you'll be seein' a lot ae me."

"I'm sure." She nodded and smiled softly to accompany the smile on his lips.

TLV

Rookery climbed into the truck, finally having a little time to deal with the issue that arose during the last twenty-four hours. His niece, the family's next head hunter, was also a sympathizer, a friend to the vampire Von Sackville-Bagg. The one that got away.

He slammed his fist onto the steering wheel, triggering the horn. "What a fine mess," he muttered. "What a fine, fine mess." He turned and drove back toward McAshtonland. Then again, he thought, maybe not such a mess, after all.


End file.
